Broken screw

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Dammit - I was screwing in a bridge screw and it suddenly started turning easily and of course had snapped. 
What are my options?
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Comments

  • fabienfabien Frets: 0
    Do you mean the head of the screw is broken? If yes, you can try a screw extractor. But it's not easy on small size screw.

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  • paulnb57paulnb57 Frets: 3044
    If there is enough of the screw left protruding, that you could grip with pliers, or similar, you could try heating the screw with the tip of a soldering iron, then try and unscrew it.....worst case you'll have to use a small 1/1.5mm drill bit and drill down the side of the screw, enough times to be able to get it out, the plug and redrill....it's a proper bastard
    Stranger from another planet welcome to our hole - Just strap on your guitar and we'll play some rock 'n' roll

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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71951
    If it's going to be hidden by the bridge and you can afford to damage the wood and/or finish around it a bit, you will usually be able to do it by heating it with a soldering iron - the screw expands, and forces back/dries out the wood so it shrinks away from the screw - then gripping it with a pair of fine-nose pliers as it cools down and comes loose, and wind it out. You will inevitably chew up the wood a bit, and don't be afraid of heating until you can smell hot wood - though preferably not smoke!

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • prowlaprowla Frets: 4896
    The head and a short bit of the screw stem broke off, so the remainder of the screw is in the hole, with none protruding out.
    I've got the bridge off, so it's out of the way.
    I've been looking at the option of drilling alongside it, or using one of the hollow drills to take out a plug around it, which I could then put a dowel in and rinse & repeat.
    I've looked at the option of drilling into the screw, but I reckon that may well end up in more of a mess that just drilling around it.
    The screw is one of the corner ones on the bridge, so I think anything is likely to show, but luckily it is a cheap guitar.
    The issue I had was that the screws in place were being pulled up, so I was putting in slightly heavier ones to see if they would hold it; those last couple of tight twists appears to have been too "enthusiastic" for the screw!.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71951
    Probably not your fault. A lot of modern 'guitar quality' screws seem to be made of something little stronger than cheese... mild steel so mild it's pathetic. I tend to think that any screw clearly meant to hold something down against a reasonable amount of force should be capable of taking the full torque of a hand screwdriver - certainly the proper ones Fender and other decent makers use are.

    If it's broken off that far down, heating may be difficult. If it's one of the corner ones I would go for drilling a few small holes alongside it on the sides that won't show, and force it over into them so you can grab it with pliers. You'll then have to plug the damage before you can get a new one in.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 11411
    I've had problems with screws breaking off.  Does anyone know where to get decent quality screws at decent prices?
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  • paulnb57paulnb57 Frets: 3044
    crunchman said:
    I've had problems with screws breaking off.  Does anyone know where to get decent quality screws at decent prices?
    I just bite the bullet and get genuine Fender ones.....
    Stranger from another planet welcome to our hole - Just strap on your guitar and we'll play some rock 'n' roll

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  • prowlaprowla Frets: 4896
    I'm wondering if there are any threaded inserts available, like you can get for necks or maybe MM bridges, which screw into the body and then a bolt screws into for attaching the bridge.
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  • prowlaprowla Frets: 4896
    Yay - I got the broken screw out.


    I had some idea that I had a bit of brass tube somewhere and I found a shaft& bolt combo from some furniture which I'd put in a box knowing it would come in handy one day.

    I made a rudimentary tool from it, removing the bolt to leave a hollow shaft, and filing angled notches/teeth into the end to make a cutting edge.

    I widened the hole down to the end of the screw with a drill bit and used a very fine drill to drill holes around the edge of it.

    I then positioned my new tool over the end of the broken screw and set about twisting it back and forth to cut down into the hole around it. (It had a hex slot in the head, so I put a matching hex bit onto a screwdriver, which made it pretty easy.

    After a fair amount of going at it, I felt it give, and out it came with the broken screw inside.

    So, problem #1 solved.

    Now I need to plug the hole and fill it with a dowel.

    (Fortunately, the bridge does cover the hole and the chipped finish around it, so I don't have to worry about appearances there.)

    Given that this is the bridge and the reason I started on it was that it was lifting, it's going to need to be quite strong.

    I am going to use heavier screws, as those ones clearly weren't up to the job.

    But what should I use as a dowel and what glue to fix it?



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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71951
    Ideally you need a side-cut plug of the same wood as the body - but failing that, as long as the new screw is long enough to go right down into the body under it, it probably doesn't matter that much as long as it's a very tight fit in the hole.

    I would use Titebond (original). I would also score the sides of the plug before you fit it, to make sure the glue isn't either trapped under the plug which will prevent it going fully in, or completely forced out of the joint.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14320
    prowla said:
    Do I spy a Wilkinson USA 4+1 conversion bridge?
    Be seeing you.
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  • prowlaprowla Frets: 4896
    prowla said:
    Do I spy a Wilkinson USA 4+1 conversion bridge?

    Yep!
    The reversed string is a sod to fit - you have to get it really tight at the headstock before you even start turning the tuner or it runs out of travel.


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